You may be thinking: “Wait, what?” Images of your childhood / Gene Simmons / Miley Cyrus may be coming to mind. Or, if you’ve ever had acupuncture done before you may be thinking of us, your acupuncturist. But you may be wondering, “Why do you want to look at my tongue?” Well, believe it or not your tongue can tell us a lot about your health! This may be why some of my patients nervously pause for a moment before revealing their tongue, knowing that it speaks a truth about their health that they fully do not understand. Well, this is why we want you to embrace your inner child and stick your tongue out for us:
The tongue is the only visible muscle in the body and it connects the internal organs to the external environment. So, the tongue is able to show us the state of the internal body, which is why we use it as a diagnostic tool. The moisture, coating, color, size and shape of the tongue can give us clues to how well the body’s energy, blood, fluids, and organs are functioning. Not all tongues look the same. In fact, to a trained eye, they can look drastically different once you know what subtle signs to look for. For example: a red tongue would indicate more heat in the body, where as a pale tongue indicates a more deficient condition. If there is a thick greasy tongue coating, there is likely a lot of phlegm in the body. A purple tongue indicates blood stasis, which is characteristic of pain. The list goes on, but here is a simple little diagram that may give you a better idea of what we’re looking for! So, go inspect your tongue, and see what your body is telling you!
The tongue is the only visible muscle in the body and it connects the internal organs to the external environment. So, the tongue is able to show us the state of the internal body, which is why we use it as a diagnostic tool. The moisture, coating, color, size and shape of the tongue can give us clues to how well the body’s energy, blood, fluids, and organs are functioning. Not all tongues look the same. In fact, to a trained eye, they can look drastically different once you know what subtle signs to look for. For example: a red tongue would indicate more heat in the body, where as a pale tongue indicates a more deficient condition. If there is a thick greasy tongue coating, there is likely a lot of phlegm in the body. A purple tongue indicates blood stasis, which is characteristic of pain. The list goes on, but here is a simple little diagram that may give you a better idea of what we’re looking for! So, go inspect your tongue, and see what your body is telling you!
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